If you’re trying to renew your California vehicle registration right now and the DMV just told you there’s a hold because of unpaid parking tickets, you’re not alone—and there’s good news. A brand-new 2026 law has fundamentally changed how California handles parking penalties, giving drivers more options than ever to resolve tickets and clear registration blocks.
Assembly Bill 1299, which went into effect January 1, 2026, gives local governments the authority to waive or reduce parking penalties for people who can’t afford to pay, and it requires cities and counties to offer payment plans upon request. If you’ve been stuck in the frustrating cycle of unpaid parking tickets blocking your registration renewal, this law could be your way out.
But here’s the critical part most people miss: once you clear the parking ticket hold, you still need to process your vehicle registration renewal—and that’s where Quick Auto Tags can help you get back on the road immediately without waiting weeks for the DMV’s mail processing.
What Changed on January 1, 2026: AB 1299 Explained
Before AB 1299, California drivers facing parking ticket penalties had limited options. If you couldn’t afford to pay the full amount, your only choice was often to let the fines escalate until they eventually led to vehicle towing, registration suspension, or even a lien sale of your car.
The new law changes this in three major ways:
1. Fee Waivers Now Available at Any Time
Previously, some California cities offered ability-to-pay fee waivers, but you typically had to request them within 60 days of receiving the citation. Miss that narrow window, and you were out of luck.
Under AB 1299, drivers can now request fee waivers or reductions at any point after receiving a parking citation—even if months or years have passed. Local governments are required to consider your ability to pay and can reduce or eliminate penalties based on financial hardship.
2. Mandatory Payment Plans on Request
Perhaps the most significant change: if you request a payment plan for parking penalties, local governments must provide one. This isn’t optional anymore. Cities and counties are required to offer reasonable payment arrangements that allow you to resolve tickets over time without the penalties spiraling out of control.
This provision specifically targets the cycle that has trapped low-income California residents: unpaid parking tickets lead to late fees and penalties that double or triple the original fine, making payment even less affordable and eventually resulting in vehicle impoundment or lien sales.
3. Protection Against Escalating Collection Actions
AB 1299 requires local governments to consider financial hardship before taking aggressive collection actions like vehicle towing or lien sales. While parking enforcement can still lead to these consequences if you completely ignore citations, the law now requires cities to work with you if you demonstrate an inability to pay and make a good-faith effort to resolve the debt.
How Parking Tickets Block Your DMV Registration Renewal
Many California drivers don’t realize they have outstanding parking tickets until they try to renew their vehicle registration and the DMV refuses to process it. Here’s how this registration block happens:
The DMV and Local Court Connection
California law requires the DMV to place a registration hold on vehicles when local courts or parking enforcement agencies report certain unpaid violations. When you receive a parking ticket, you typically have 21 days to pay it or contest it. If you do neither, the ticket enters the court system as a delinquent violation.
At that point, the local court or parking authority reports the unpaid citation to the Department of Motor Vehicles. The DMV then flags your vehicle’s registration record with a “hold” or “stop” code. According to the California DMV’s vehicle registration system, this hold prevents you from:
- Renewing your registration online, by mail, or in person
- Transferring ownership of the vehicle (you’ll need to submit a Notice of Transfer & Release of Liability if you’ve already sold it)
- Applying for a duplicate registration card
- Processing any other registration-related transactions
The DMV will not remove this hold until the local court or parking authority confirms that you’ve either paid the citation in full or made satisfactory arrangements to resolve it.
Why Many People Discover Tickets Too Late
The problem is that parking tickets often get lost in the shuffle of daily life. Maybe you moved and didn’t receive the mailed citation (if so, make sure to update your address with the DMV to avoid future issues). Perhaps the ticket blew off your windshield before you returned to your car. Or the citation was issued for street sweeping or a parking meter violation you genuinely didn’t know about.
By the time your annual registration renewal notice arrives and you try to process it, the parking ticket has already been reported to the DMV. You can’t renew your registration until the ticket is cleared, and if you’ve missed your renewal deadline, you’re now facing late registration fees on top of the parking penalties.
The Financial Snowball Effect
Here’s how the costs compound:
- Original Parking Fine: $65 (typical meter violation)
- Late Fee After 21 Days: +$35 (total now $100)
- Court Processing Fee: +$25 (total now $125)
- Collection Penalty After 60 Days: +$50 (total now $175)
- DMV Late Registration Fee: $10 per month after renewal deadline
- Possible Vehicle Impound Costs: $200-$500+ if you drive with expired registration and get pulled over
What started as a $65 parking ticket can easily become a $400+ problem if left unresolved for a few months.
Pro Tip: If you know your registration is blocked by parking tickets and you won’t be driving the vehicle for several months while resolving the issue, consider filing a Planned Non-Operation (PNO) with the DMV. This stops registration fees from accumulating and can save you money if you’re not using the vehicle. Just remember: you absolutely cannot drive a vehicle with PNO status, even to move it during street cleaning.
Step-by-Step: Using AB 1299 to Clear Parking Tickets and Unblock Your Registration
Now that you understand how AB 1299 works and why parking tickets create registration blocks, here’s exactly how to use the new law to resolve your situation and get your vehicle registration back on track.
Step 1: Identify All Outstanding Parking Citations
Before you can request relief under AB 1299, you need to know exactly which citations are blocking your registration. Here’s how to find them:
Check with the DMV: When you attempt to renew your registration online or by phone, the DMV system will display which local agency is holding your registration. The error message usually says something like “Registration renewal cannot be processed due to outstanding citations with [City Name] Parking Authority.”
Contact the Local Parking Authority: Call or visit the website of the city or county where the tickets were issued. Most California cities now have online parking citation lookup portals where you can search by license plate number or citation number. Common portals include:
- Los Angeles: lacity.org/myla311
- San Francisco: sfmta.com/citation
- San Diego: sandiego.gov/parking-citations
- Sacramento: cityofsacramento.org/Public-Works/Parking-Services
Request a Complete Account Summary: When you contact the parking authority, ask for a full listing of all citations issued to your license plate, including dates, violation types, and current balances owed. Make sure to get the total amount due, including all late fees and penalties.
Step 2: Determine Your Eligibility for Fee Waiver or Reduction
AB 1299 doesn’t automatically waive all parking fines. Local governments must still enforce parking regulations. However, you may qualify for a fee waiver or reduction if:
- You’re currently receiving public assistance (CalWORKs, SSI, General Assistance, CalFresh, Medi-Cal, In-Home Supportive Services)
- Your household income is at or below 125% of the federal poverty level
- You can demonstrate financial hardship that makes full payment impossible without depriving yourself or your dependents of basic necessities like food, housing, or medical care
Each city or county may have slightly different eligibility criteria, but they must at minimum consider the factors listed in AB 1299.
Step 3: Submit Your Fee Waiver or Payment Plan Request
Contact the parking authority’s customer service department or administrative review office. Most California cities now have specific procedures for handling AB 1299 requests:
What to Include in Your Request:
- Your name, address, and phone number
- License plate number and citation numbers
- Explanation of your financial situation (be specific: unemployment, medical expenses, fixed income, etc.)
- Proof of income or public assistance eligibility (recent pay stubs, benefit award letters, tax returns)
- A clear statement: “I am requesting fee waiver/reduction under Assembly Bill 1299 based on inability to pay.”
Request a Payment Plan if Waiver is Denied: Even if you don’t qualify for a complete fee waiver, AB 1299 requires the parking authority to offer you a payment plan. Request monthly installments you can realistically afford. For example, if you owe $300 in parking fines, you might propose $50/month for six months.
Get Everything in Writing: Once the parking authority approves your waiver or payment plan, make sure you receive written confirmation. You’ll need this documentation to clear the DMV registration hold.
Step 4: Clear the DMV Registration Hold
This is the step where many people get stuck—and where Quick Auto Tags becomes invaluable.
After the parking authority approves your fee waiver or payment plan, they must notify the DMV to remove the registration hold. In theory, this happens automatically within a few business days. In practice, it often takes 2-4 weeks because local courts and parking agencies are backlogged and the DMV’s hold release process is not instantaneous.
Here’s the smarter approach:
Option A: Wait for DMV Processing (2-4 weeks)
If you’re not in a hurry, you can wait for the local parking authority to electronically transmit the hold release to the DMV. Once processed, you’ll be able to renew your registration online or by mail through the standard DMV channels.
Option B: Expedite with Quick Auto Tags (Same Day)
If you need your registration renewed immediately—because you’re driving on expired tags, or because you need to register for insurance, or because late fees are accumulating—Quick Auto Tags can process your registration renewal the moment the parking hold is cleared.
Here’s how it works:
- You obtain written confirmation from the parking authority that your tickets are resolved (paid in full or under approved payment plan)
- You bring that confirmation to Quick Auto Tags along with your registration renewal notice
- Quick Auto Tags verifies with the DMV’s system that the hold has been released (or submits the clearance documentation directly if processing is still pending)
- Quick Auto Tags prints your new registration card and stickers on the spot—usually within 15-30 minutes
No waiting for the DMV to mail renewal notices. No sitting in line at a DMV field office for hours. No uncertainty about whether the hold was actually released. You walk out with valid, current registration the same day.
Step 5: Maintain Compliance with Your Payment Plan
If you were approved for a payment plan rather than a full waiver, make absolutely certain you keep up with the agreed-upon payments. Missing even one payment can:
- Reinstate the full original balance plus penalties
- Trigger a new DMV registration hold
- Lead to collection actions like wage garnishment or vehicle impoundment
Set up automatic payments if the parking authority allows it, or mark your calendar so you never miss a due date.
Common Scenarios: How AB 1299 Helps in Real Situations
Let’s look at a few typical situations where AB 1299 makes a practical difference for California drivers.
Scenario 1: Registration Renewal Blocked by Old Street Sweeping Tickets
The Problem: Maria lives in Los Angeles and received three street sweeping tickets over the past year because she works a night shift and sometimes forgets to move her car before the 8 AM street sweeping cutoff. The original tickets were $73 each, but with late fees and penalties, they’ve grown to $250 total. When Maria tries to renew her registration online, the DMV system shows a hold from the City of LA Parking Bureau.
The AB 1299 Solution: Maria contacts the LA Parking Bureau and explains that she’s a single mother working two part-time jobs to support her children. She provides proof of her income (which is below 150% of the poverty level) and requests a fee reduction under AB 1299. The parking bureau reviews her case and reduces each citation from $73 to $25 (removing all late fees and penalties). Maria pays the reduced amount of $75 total, the hold is cleared within a week, and she renews her registration through Quick Auto Tags the same day to avoid late registration fees.
Scenario 2: Out-of-State Move Creates Citation Confusion
The Problem: James lived in San Diego for two years, then moved to Phoenix for work. He didn’t realize that three parking tickets issued during his last month in San Diego never reached him because he had already changed his address. Six months later, when he tries to register his out-of-state vehicle after moving back to California (Riverside), the DMV shows a registration hold for unpaid San Diego parking tickets totaling $425 with penalties.
The AB 1299 Solution: James contacts the San Diego Parking Authority and explains he never received the citations due to his address change. He’s now back in California but on a tight budget after the move. Under AB 1299, he requests a payment plan for the $425 balance. The city approves a 6-month plan at $70/month. James makes the first payment, receives written confirmation, and brings it to Quick Auto Tags in Riverside. Quick Auto Tags processes his out-of-state vehicle registration immediately (including the required VIN verification) while the payment plan clears the old San Diego hold.
Scenario 3: Medical Hardship Leads to Parking Citation Buildup
The Problem: Susan was hospitalized for three months due to a serious illness. During her hospital stay, her car remained parked on a street where overnight parking is restricted certain days. She accumulated nine overnight parking tickets ($65 each), plus late fees and penalties, totaling over $900. Her vehicle was never towed because the parking enforcement officers didn’t realize it was unattended. When she’s finally discharged and tries to renew her registration, she discovers the massive debt and the DMV hold.
The AB 1299 Solution: Susan gathers her hospital discharge paperwork and medical bills showing her three-month hospitalization. She contacts her city’s parking authority and requests a complete fee waiver under AB 1299, explaining she was physically unable to move her vehicle and is now facing significant medical debt. The city reviews her case and waives all nine citations entirely based on extraordinary hardship. The DMV hold is lifted, and Susan processes her registration renewal through Quick Auto Tags within two business days.
Parking Ticket Relief vs. Registration Services: Understanding What Quick Auto Tags Can and Cannot Do
It’s important to understand the division of responsibility between local parking authorities and vehicle registration services like Quick Auto Tags.
What Local Parking Authorities Handle Under AB 1299
The city or county parking enforcement agency that issued your citations is responsible for:
- Reviewing your fee waiver or payment plan requests
- Determining eligibility based on AB 1299 criteria
- Reducing or eliminating parking penalties
- Setting up payment plans
- Notifying the DMV to release registration holds
Quick Auto Tags cannot waive parking tickets, reduce parking fines, or negotiate with parking authorities on your behalf. Those actions must be handled directly between you and the local government agency.
What Quick Auto Tags Handles: Registration Services After Holds Are Cleared
Once you’ve resolved your parking tickets through the local authority and the DMV hold has been released (or is in the process of being released), Quick Auto Tags can:
- Process your vehicle registration renewal immediately, even if the DMV’s online system hasn’t updated yet
- Print new registration cards and stickers the same day
- Handle any late registration penalties that accrued while your parking tickets were unresolved
- Process title transfers or other registration-related transactions that were blocked by the parking hold
- Provide duplicate registration cards or replacement stickers if needed
The value Quick Auto Tags brings is speed and efficiency. Instead of waiting weeks for the DMV to process your renewal by mail, or spending hours in line at a DMV field office, you can complete the entire registration transaction in minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions About AB 1299 and Parking Ticket Registration Blocks
Does AB 1299 apply to all types of traffic citations?
No. AB 1299 specifically applies to parking penalties—citations for meter violations, street sweeping, overnight parking, handicapped parking (issued as civil infractions, not criminal violations), and similar parking-related enforcement actions. It does not apply to moving violations (speeding tickets, red-light camera citations, etc.) or other types of traffic infractions that go through the traffic court system rather than parking enforcement.
Can I request a fee waiver even if I already paid part of a parking ticket?
Yes. AB 1299 allows you to request fee waivers or reductions at any point in the citation’s lifecycle, even if you’ve already made partial payments. If you qualify for a reduction, the parking authority can apply the reduction to your remaining balance and potentially refund any overpayment.
What if my city or county refuses to honor my AB 1299 request?
AB 1299 requires local governments to consider fee waivers and payment plans based on ability to pay, but they can deny requests if you don’t meet the eligibility criteria. If your request is denied and you believe it was done improperly, you have the right to request an administrative review or hearing. Each local parking authority must have an appeals process. You can also file a complaint with your city council or county board of supervisors.
If you believe a parking authority is systematically violating AB 1299 requirements, you may want to consult with a consumer rights attorney or contact your state legislator’s office. The California Courts Self-Help Center provides information about your rights when dealing with parking citations and administrative appeals.
Will using AB 1299 to reduce parking fines affect my credit or driving record?
No. Parking citations do not appear on your driving record (DMV driver’s license record) because they are civil infractions, not moving violations. While unpaid parking tickets can be sent to collection agencies and potentially impact your credit score, using AB 1299 to legally resolve them through fee waivers or payment plans will not negatively affect your credit. In fact, resolving tickets through a payment plan is better for your credit than leaving them unpaid.
How long does it take for the DMV hold to be released after I resolve parking tickets?
This varies by jurisdiction. Some larger California cities have direct electronic data feeds to the DMV and can release holds within 2-4 business days. Smaller cities or counties may still process hold releases manually, which can take 2-3 weeks. If you need your registration processed urgently, your best option is to obtain written confirmation of ticket resolution from the parking authority and bring it to Quick Auto Tags, where we can work with the DMV directly to expedite the hold release verification.
Can I still drive while waiting for my parking tickets to be resolved?
If your registration has already expired and the DMV hold is preventing renewal, technically no—driving with expired registration is illegal in California and can result in a citation if you’re pulled over. However, if your registration is still current but you’re unable to renew it due to the parking hold, you can continue driving legally until the registration expiration date.
The safest approach: resolve your parking tickets before your registration expires, if at all possible. If your registration has already expired and you absolutely must drive the vehicle for work or emergencies while resolving the parking hold, Quick Auto Tags may be able to help you obtain a temporary operating permit in certain situations. Contact us at (951) 409-9091 to discuss your specific circumstances. Otherwise, avoid driving the vehicle until you’ve cleared the hold and completed your registration renewal.
What happens if I default on an AB 1299 payment plan?
If you’re approved for a payment plan and then miss payments, the parking authority can reinstate the full original citation amount plus penalties and interest. They can also re-report the delinquent citations to the DMV, which will place a new registration hold on your vehicle. Additionally, defaulting on a payment plan may disqualify you from receiving payment plan relief in the future.
If you’re struggling to make payments on an approved plan, contact the parking authority immediately to explain your situation and see if they can modify the payment schedule.
Don’t Let Parking Tickets Keep Your Car Off the Road
California’s AB 1299 represents a significant shift in how the state approaches parking penalties, particularly for drivers facing financial hardship. For the first time, local governments are required to consider ability to pay and provide reasonable payment alternatives, rather than allowing parking fines to escalate into vehicle impoundment or registration suspension.
But knowing the law exists is only half the battle. You still need to take action—contact the parking authority, request relief under AB 1299, and once tickets are resolved, complete your registration renewal before more late fees pile up.
Quick Auto Tags has helped thousands of California drivers navigate registration issues caused by parking tickets, suspended registrations, and DMV processing delays. While we can’t waive your parking citations, we can ensure that once you’ve cleared them, your registration is processed immediately and you’re back on the road the same day.
Ready to Clear Your Registration and Get Legal?
If you have parking tickets blocking your vehicle registration renewal, don’t wait:
- Contact the local parking authority that issued the citations
- Request fee waiver or payment plan under AB 1299
- Obtain written confirmation of ticket resolution
- Visit Quick Auto Tags to process your registration renewal immediately
Call Quick Auto Tags today at (951) 409-9091 or visit our Riverside office at:
Quick Auto Tags
5586 Mission Blvd Ste B
Riverside, CA 92509
Most registration renewals are completed in 15-30 minutes. Same-day service. No DMV lines. No weeks-long mail processing.
Note: This article provides general information about California Assembly Bill 1299 and related vehicle registration requirements. It is not legal advice. For specific guidance about your parking citations, eligibility for fee waivers, or administrative review procedures, contact the local parking authority or city/county attorney’s office in the jurisdiction where the tickets were issued. For California DMV registration and title services, contact Quick Auto Tags at (951) 409-9091.
